For all of Generation Y's #yolo posturing and whatevs attitude, Millennials are super-stressed out, yo! Like, they literally can't even right now!!! A quick scroll on Tumblr of the hashtag #ILiterallyCan'tEven yields a not-so-surprisingly vast catalog of Millennials stressors - typically represented in the form of animated GIFs - that range from "Super-Kawaii Things That Stress Me Out Cuz They Are Just Too Damned Cute" to "Homework Is Hard and Stuff" to "Will I Ever Get a Job That's Commensurate With My Education?"

Google "Millennial" and it's easy to see why every marketer is freaking out trying to reach this often misunderstood generation. Data is readily available that tells them these consumers are online all the time across various devices and that they don't mind brand messages in the mix as they engage with content everywhere. Data is also available that shows marketers how much this generation is spending or will spend over their lifetime with brands they love. Naturally, brand marketers want in.

Are Millennials telling Valentine's Day, "I'm just not that into you?" The 14th of February is upon us, and with Millennial consumers making up many of the singles who are dating, looking for love, and now starting to settle down, it's important to understand how they view the holiday. In our recent monthly survey of Millennials 13 to 32 years old, we asked about their relationship statuses, and their plans for and attitudes about Valentine's.

The global flavors Millennials already expect are making their way onto the plates of Boomers, inspired by the younger generation and looking to relive the experience of their travels. That said, appetite for culinary experiences is no greater than among Millennials with 9 out of 10 wanting to try new flavors, compared with only 53% of Boomers. Whether eating out or dining in, food is a source of entertainment and engagement for Millennials; it's the arbiter of cool. They want unexpected flavor combinations, exotic ingredients, heat and spice. They want to be surprised.

The great differences between the Millennial, Gen X and Boomer generations are a subject of many studies and debate. These groups, born into different economic, political, and technical environments, are typically discussed based on their unique, differentiating attributes, as marketers try to develop strategies that uniquely target each population.

Nearly 16 years ago, when I was covering ad-tech for an advertising trade publication, I interviewed my 7-year-old niece, Micaela, for an article about the then-burgeoning category of online services aimed at children. These kid-friendly web channels included AOL's Kids Only, Bonus.com, ePLAY, JuniorNet and Yahooligans!, to name just a few. While all of these first-mover, kiddie web services and edutainment sites have since gone the way of the original Pets.com, looking back at what I wrote in 1999 about digital marketing and media targeted at Millennials got me thinking about the similarities and differences between Gen Y and Gen ...

As temperatures continue to drop and parts of the country experience winter storms, we find ourselves closing out another exciting year of college football. This year was especially thrilling because of the first-ever playoffs, allowing Ohio State to take home the championship against the University of Oregon.

A new consumer dynamic is emerging in retail: Purchase risk is receding across categories, and it's creating a new step in the path to purchase that is shifting when the consumer decision journey ends.